Hourglass Of The Valar
by AsimaJaeger76
Summary: Novice Assassin and Princess Of Persia Shahnaz had no idea what she was getting into when she agreed to go to Middle Earth with Gandalf. But she swore that she would aid the Company in their quest for Erebor. slow update
1. The Princess Of Persia

Soul Of The Valar

Cross-Over: Assassin's Creed, Prince Of Persia, The Hobbit

Written By AsimaJaeger76

* * *

"Father, will you tell me and Sorin a story?" Sapphira asked hopefully, gazing up at her father with glimmering sapphire-blue eyes.

Thorin Oakenshield, king under the Mountain, let out a deep chuckle and spoke, "Alright, I'll tell you a story. Would you like to know how I met your mother?"

"Yes Father, tell us!" Sorin exclaimed eagerly.

"Very well, I will tell you..."

* * *

Princess Shahnaz gazed out uneasily across the dunes surrounding the city of Masyaf. Beside her, Altair Ibn-La-Ahad, Malik and Kadar al-Syaf stood still as they waited for an opportunity to enter Solomon's Temple. They'd been commanded by the head of the Assassin Brotherhood to find out what the Templars were after.

"Alright, let's get moving," Altair spoke up quietly.

The other three Assassins nodded and followed the more experienced Master Assassin, being sure to keep their footsteps light in the echoing mines. Soon the group came up behind an old man praying in the middle of a tunnel. Altair did not hesitate to dispatch the old fellow, ignoring Malik's vehement protests to not harm the innocent.

"Altair, what's wrong with you?!" Shahnaz exclaimed, catching her friend by the arm. "You've been acting very odd lately. Why did you break the first Tenet?"

"I assure you, there is nothing wrong with me," Altair replied coldly, pulling his arm out of Shahnaz's grasp. "Now let us have no more distractions. As for the old man, he was in my way..."

The young girl sighed deeply and watched as her friend stalked off. Malik came up beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder, saying, "Don't let his attitude get to you, sister. It's not your fault...when we get back to the fortress, Al Mualim will deal with his arrogance. Come, we should not fall behind."

* * *

A few minutes later, the group perched on a rocky ledge and eavesdropped on a small squad of Templars. The two younger Assassins shifted restlessly behind their more patient superiors, eager for some action. Finally Altair moved towards a ladder that would allow him to climb down ground level.

"Hold Templars!" he said sternly, moving into the Templars' line of sight. "What business do you have in Solomon's Temple?"

Robert De Sable chuckled as he turned to face the bold Assassin. Meanwhile, Shahnaz was furiously arguing with Malik as to whether or not they should help Altair.

"It's his fault for being an idiot," Malik hissed angrily. "He should learn from his mistakes."

"But if we don't do something now, he won't get to learn from his mistakes," the girl returned sharply. "Malik...please."

"Fine!" Malik snapped, drawing his sword. "We'll do it. Kadar, stay close to me."

The three Assassins leapt down from the ledge, startling the Templars and Altair. Shahnaz swiftly stepped up to Altair's left side and glowered at Robert De Sable, drawing two elegantly curved blades and taking up a defensive stance. At that moment, the strange container that Robert De Sable had been examining before the Assassins had so rudely barged in, began to glow with a golden light.


	2. The Princess Vanishes

When Princess Shahnaz awoke, she found herself in a strange land. She gazed about in wonder then looked down to find that she had been clad in white, black, and crimson. The white tunic covered her hips while a crimson sash was situated underneath an intricately decorated leather belt, and a pair of black breeches covered her lower half. As she took this in, Shahnaz failed to notice someone coming to a stop in front of her.

"Excuse me, young lady?" a gruff but kind voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Oh I-I'm sorry! Am I in your way?" the princess asked, tilting her head back to look up at the stranger.

The old man let out a low chuckle at the young girl and shook his head. He was very odd-looking, at least to Shahnaz. He wore a grey, woolen robe and a silver scarf...and to top it all off, a big, pointed, blue hat sat upon his head.

"You're not in my way at all, dear," he said with a warm smile. "Allow me to introduce myself...I'm Gandalf the Grey."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Master Gandalf," the princess said, flashing him a wide grin. "My name is Shahnaz...I am a stranger here. Tell me, what is this place?"

The old man looked her over before nodding in agreement at her statement. After a moment, Gandalf's light-blue eyes twinkled mischievously as a sudden thought occurred to him.

"This place is called the Shire. Small folk, roughly half your height, dwell here. Tell me, young lady...would you be interested in assisting me with something?" he inquired casually, peering at the girl from under the brim of his hat.

"That depends on what 'it' is," Shahnaz said, eyes turning a molten-gold as she met his calculating gaze.

* * *

Thorin Oakenshield, a handsome dwarf with piercing sapphire-blue eyes and flowing black locks, was very busy in the smithy. As his hammer struck the sword occupying the anvil, the smithy was filled with loud clangs that prevented him from hearing any outdoor sounds. As a result, Thorin missed the sounds of a scuffle occurring outside the smithy.

"Ah, hey! Let me go!" Shahnaz snapped, struggling violently as two thugs grabbed her roughly.

"An' why would we do that, poppet?" Thug number 1 asked, giving his captive a wicked grin. "Yew're far too pretty ta be lettin' yew go off on yer own. How about me an' my partner take care of yew, eh?"

"Erm...no thank you," said Shahnaz, twisting deftly out of her captors' grip.

She scurried away, frantically searching for a place to hide. Seeing none, the princess ducked into the nearby smithy. The two thugs cursed and pursued her, neither of them taking into account that the smithy was occupied. Shahnaz glanced around in wonder, for her parents never let her near the smithies in Alamut.

"May I help you?" a low, deep voice inquired off to her left.

"Um, is it alright if I hide in here? There are two men after me..." the princess asked tersely.

Thorin spared a glance towards the open doorway to see the girl's pursuers approaching. He beckoned to her silently, indicating that she should follow. The dwarf led her to a small closet and told the girl to hide in it. As Thorin returned to the front of the smithy, he found the two men poking around...no doubt in search of their quarry.

"The girl is not here," said Thorin curtly, glancing up from his work. "So you'd best search elsewhere."

"I don't seem ta recall askin' yer opinion, Dwarf," the ringleader drawled, shooting Thorin a dark look. "But yew seem ta know where our li'l dear has gotten to. So talk."


	3. Meetings Are Awkward

Shahnaz felt her unease grow as she remained hidden in the closet. She strained to listen for voices, wondering if her savior had met a horrible end. Finally, she could not take it any longer and stealthily opened the closet door. The princess crept along the hall until she could see the orange light of the smithy.

"I am not obliged to tell you where she's gone," the dwarf was saying, his tone icy. "Now be gone before I lose my patience."

The sleazy character chuckled darkly and spoke, "Yer a tough one to crack, tha's fer sure. Well, Ah reckon we'll have ta roughen yew up somewha'."

"STOP!" Shahnaz cried out, springing from her hiding place. "You will do no such thing. I do not know what your quarrel with me is, but I will not allow you to harm the blacksmith."

"There she is," Thug number 2 said, grinning hungrily. "Li'l poppet has come to save an innocent bystander."

Thorin cursed quietly in Khuzdul when the young girl made her appearance. He'd been silently hoping that the lady would have the sense to stay put, but things were not going accordingly to his plan. As the young girl confronted the two scumbags, the dwarf began to search the smithy for his sword in case things escalated. He saw the sword leaning against the wall next to the water trough and began to mentally plan out a path to the blade.

"Perhaps it would be best if we took this outside?" the princess suggested casually.

"No, we're gonna settle this here an' now, li'l poppet," the first thug said, drawing a rusted blade out of a sheath on his belt.

Shahnaz shrugged as if to say "it's your funeral," assumed a fighting stance and waited for her opponents to make the first move. The two thugs circled her like a couple of vultures that had discovered a putrid carcass. The girl's face betrayed no hint of what she was thinking, making it much more difficult for her attackers to guess her strategies.

Thorin, meanwhile, was slowly working his way across the room in the hopes that he would be able to reach his sword. He was making good progress until the second criminal took notice of him. The dwarf grimaced and prepared for a fist-fight, but the man never got close enough.

Shahnaz ducked around her first opponent, having caught movement of the second in her peripheral vision. She delivered a lightning-fast strike with the heel of her palm to the second robber's throat. The man's eyes went wide as he slowly reached up to his neck to discover that he was bleeding profusely. His partner confidence faltered slightly at the grim expression on the young girl's face, but he attacked anyways.

Thorin, by now, had made it to the other side of the smithy and closed his hand around the hilt of his sword. He hurried back to the two combatants and with one mighty sweep of his blade, finished off the last of the thugs. He then turned around to have a word with the young girl, but the smithy was suddenly empty except for two dead bodies and himself.

* * *

Shahnaz observed the dwarf from where she perched on the roof of the adjacent building. She kinda felt bad about running out on the blacksmith without an explanation, but the princess had a feeling that it wouldn't be the last time that she'd see the handsome dwarf. How could one even avoid meeting with their intended one? She heaved a sigh and took off running across the rooftops to put some distance between herself and the smithy, before performing a Leap of Faith into a hay cart. As she jumped out, Shahnaz spotted a familiar blue hat and began making her way over to the wizard.

"Gandalf, over here," she called softly to gain his attention.

"Ah, there you are my dear," said the wizard, gracing the young girl with a warm smile. "How did your meeting with the blacksmith go?"

"Not too good..." answered Shahnaz with an embarrassed grimace. "A couple of thugs didn't take kindly to me relieving them of their coin purses. I accidentally led them to the smithy and ended up having to take them out. So I didn't get to really talk to him. What about you?"

Gandalf exhaled as he gazed off into the distance for a moment before he answered, "I've presented an opportunity for an acquaintance to go on an adventure. We will see whether or not he will join in on the fun. In the meantime, let's get you introduced to that blacksmith...hm?"

* * *

A storm had moved in during their time in the village of Bree. Shahnaz and Gandalf kept a close eye on the smithy, observing a certain dark-haired dwarf. Once the blacksmith left the smithy, the princess and the wizard followed at a discreet distance. Soon, they stood outside the Inn of the Prancing Pony.

"So...should we go in together or should I go in first?" Shahnaz inquired nervously, gazing up at the wizard.

"I think it would be best if you went in first," Gandalf mused thoughtfully. "After all, you do owe the dwarf an explanation as to why you ended up in that situation."

The young girl's cheeks turned a rosy pink, but she gathered up her courage and entered the inn. It did not take her long to find her target, for he sat at a table close to the fireplace. As she moved past the bustling patrons, Shahnaz caught sight of two sinister-looking men watching the dark-haired dwarf. Once she stood directly in front of the blacksmith, she spoke, "May I join you, Master Dwarf?"

Thorin Oakenshield glanced up in surprise. He watched her curiously for a moment before taking a swig from his mug and nodding his head in consent.

"I wanted to apologize for running out on you earlier today," Shahnaz blurted out quickly before her nerves failed her. "I was trying to um...get some coins off of the two thugs, but they noticed and started chasing me. That's how I ended up in your smithy. I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble."

"I accept your apology..." here Thorin trailed off because he wanted to know the girl's name out of curiosity.

"Shahnaz...and you?" the princess asked with a shy smile.

"I am Thorin," the dwarf answered, returning her smile with a small one of his own.

At that moment, Gandalf chose to saunter up to their table and claim a seat off to Thorin's right-hand side. He flashed a pleasant smile at the waitress and requested a simple meal then turned his attention to the slightly annoyed dwarf.

"Forgive my interruptions, Thorin Oakenshield," said the wizard, managing to look apologetic and mischievous at the same time. "I am Gandalf the Grey."

"I know who you are," Thorin said sharply.

For Shahnaz, the topic grew progressively darker until she could no longer stand it and rose to leave.


End file.
